NEW CASTLE —
Mark Mangino soon may be a college football coach again.
But one thing is for certain. It won’t be at the University of Colorado.
The New Castle native and former Kansas head coach has removed his name from consideration at Colorado. His name had surfaced early this week as a possible leading candidate after he spoke by phone with various university personnel.
Mangino sent out a Tweet yesterday on Twitter: “I have asked that my name be taken out of consideration for the Colorado position. I wish the school & next coach great success!”
Colorado began its search for a football coach following the dismissal of former player Jon Embree after two seasons. Embree led the Buffaloes to a 4-21 record in his two years at the helm.
“I had conversations with various people at Colorado, I sat and thought about it long and hard and I just don’t feel that’s where I’m supposed to be,” Mangino said last night from his Naples, Fla. home.
“There’s no guarantee that I would have even been their choice, but looking at it top to bottom, I just didn’t think it would be a good fit. You have to follow your instincts and my instincts were telling me this wasn’t the way to go.”
Mangino said he also has been contacted by Big 10 member Purdue University and he noted that while discussions are in a preliminary stage, he and the Boilermakers appear to be more on the same page.
“They were more clear and direct on what they’re trying to accomplish and I liked that part of it,” he said. “I’ll know when the right situation comes up for me, for both the school and myself.”
Mangino said that while he is looking for a head coaching position, he also would consider a coordinator position. He says he appreciated the time at home over the past 14 months as he helped his wife, Mary Jane, battle breast cancer.
“Mary Jane is a fighter, she battled her way through it and she has gotten a good report,” he said. “You don’t know how we wanted to hear those words that she didn’t have to come back for six months.”
The 56-year-old Mangino has been out of the coaching ranks since 2009, when he and Kansas agreed to a buyout following disagreements with then-athletic director Lew Perkins concerning the discipline of players. Mangino coached the Jayhawks for eight seasons, taking the former Big 12 doormat to a 50-48 record. He led the Jayhawks to four bowl games, including an Orange Bowl win that capped a 12-1 season in 2007.
Mangino will board a flight this morning for Fort Worth, Texas, where he will attend tomorrow’s Oklahoma at Texas Christian game. Mangino is a former offensive coordinator and assistant head coach at Oklahoma and remains close with Sooners head coach Bob Stoops.
“I didn’t get a chance to get to Norman this year, so I called Bob and told him I’d gotten a plane ticket to Forth Worth and he told me I could stay in the team hotel and ride the bus to the stadium, then hang around the bench during the game.”
Mangino said he has been inundated with calls, texts and emails from his large base of friends in New Castle in recent days. He spent five days in Lawrence County last week visiting family and friends.
“It never ceases to amaze me the loyalty my hometown has had toward me,” he said. “New Castle has never forgotten me and I can’t begin to describe how much I appreciate that.
“So many people are really rooting for me to get another head coaching job and it’s great to feel that support. No matter what, I know that New Castle is always with me.”
(Email: kcubbal@ncnewsonline.com).
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As head coach at Kansas, Mangino took a program that hadn’t had a winning season in six years prior to his arrival and turned it into a national power.
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College Football: Mangino removes name from Colorado coaching search
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